It’s set. Heaven Fest, the one-day Christian music festival, will be Saturday, July 28 in a return appearance at The Ranch in Loveland. The first “round” of musicians to perform will be announced this week. So keep an eye out in this space.

Don’t know about Heaven Fest? The festival has grown from a few thousand to 30-plus thousand in just four years because of the variety of talent and features — a skate park with demonstrations, kids’ zones, and MUSIC, MUSIC and more MUSIC from pop, alternative rock, heavy metal to hip-hop/rap.

Jeremy Camp braves the heat at Heaven Fest 2011 in Loveland. The Christian artist is releasing a book -- I Still Believe: Discovering Hope and Healing in the Midst of Life's Deepest Valleys - in September. | Photo by Eliza Marie Somers

Trust. It’s the hardest thing to do in a relationship, especially if you have been betrayed. Now imagine if that betrayer is your god.

That’s how Christian singer/songwriter Jeremy Camp felt when his wife, Melissa, died of cancer at age 21, just four months after their marriage in 2000.

“I didn’t want to go on stage and praise the Lord,” said Camp, who is one of the headliners at Heaven Fest at The Ranch in Loveland on Saturday. “I was like, ‘Lord I don’t feel like telling about how good you are because right now I hurt. Lord you don’t understand, it hurts.’ ”

That was 11 years ago, a long arduous journey that has taken Camp full circle. He’s now married to Adrienne Liesching, with two little girls – Arie, 5, and Isabella, 7 – and a little boy on the way in August. His career is on the fast track, with four RIAA gold albums, 22 No. 1 radio hits, along with being named Billboard’s No. 3 Christian Artist of the Decade (2000s).

And his faith is restored but not without a lot pain, fears and tears.
It’s a journey he shares through his music and ministry, and now in a book, “I Still Believe: Discovering Hope and Healing in the Midst of Life’s Deepest Valleys.”

I’m a Denver Post sports copy editor, who covers Christian music in my spare time. I’m a rocker at heart. Grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, The Who ... classic rock is what they call it now. I was introduced to Christian rock by my cousin, Sharon. My first Christian rock experience was Atlanta Fest when I saw this new group — Third Day — playing in front of about 50 people at an outdoor picnic area.